Western Canada Wilderness Committee

The Western Canada Wilderness Committee is a Canadian non-profit environmental education organization established in 1980 in the province of British Columbia. It was founded by Paul George and Richard Krieger with the mission to protect Canada's biodiversity through strategic research and grassroots public education. Today, the organization has a significant presence across Canada, with offices in British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario, and over 60,000 supporters.

Mission

The Wilderness Committee values nature with its natural biodiversity as vital to the health of people, communities, and the planet. It acts with integrity and courage to mobilize citizens to take lawful, democratic action in defense of Canada's remaining wilderness and wildlife. The organization believes that the right, duty, and ability to act are integral to citizenship.

Activities

The organization has successfully campaigned to protect millions of hectares of Canadian wilderness across over 40 key wilderness areas. It focuses on three main campaign areas:

• Protecting Nature: Advocating for the protection of provincial parks, forests, grasslands, and freshwater sources. This includes efforts to safeguard old-growth forests.
• Defending Wildlife: Campaigning for the protection of wildlife, particularly species at risk, and their habitats. Key species of focus include the spotted owl, southern mountain caribou, boreal woodland caribou, and bees.
• Fighting Climate Change: The organization is also engaged in initiatives to address climate change impacts on Canadian ecosystems.

Impact and Recognition

The Western Canada Wilderness Committee is recognized for its financial transparency and has been given a 4-star charity rating. It reports reaching 12 million people annually through its awareness activities. Despite its significant impact, the charity's specific breakdown of spending across its programs is not detailed.

Founding and Leadership

Paul George, one of the founding directors, has documented the history of the organization in his book "Big Trees, Not Big Stumps." Over the years, the organization has been supported by notable campaigners such as Adriane Carr, Colleen McCrory, Bryan Adams, Randy Stoltmann, Ken Lay, Joe Foy, Andrea Reimer, Ken Wu, Gwen Barlee, and Nik Cuff.

Registration and Status

The organization is registered as a non-profit society with charitable status under the Business Registration Number 119293009RR0001. As a registered charity, it maintains a strong commitment to environmental advocacy and public education.